Lullaby
by C hi BA ri
Summary: As Autozam begins to recuperate, Eagle deteriorates and grows more distant from the people he loves. With the rumors of Hikaru and Lantis's wedding, he lapses into detrimental habits which question his reason and bring him close to losing himself.
1. Chapter 1

Lullaby by C hi BA ri

I would tell you that life, without its seemingly hopeless dilemmas, is not something worth living for. I would say that it is an empty life, devoid of the all of the circumstances that make us what we are: human beings. However, I am beginning to think that I was wrong all along…

**A/N: This is the side story to Mirrored Vision and vice versa. This fanfiction details the events leading to the interaction in Cephiro.**

--

Eagle stared endlessly out at the darkening gray sky and the precipitation that had been falling from it for the last four months.

Hearing a knock from behind his bedroom door, he turned around to face his mother, Corolla Vision, who had been running around nervously to check on her son's status since his mysterious collapse in the dining hall. Eagle smiled and reassured her of his well-being before she had a chance to lay a hand on his forehead.

She cocked her head to the side, skeptically, watching him with a painful expression.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders with a gentle squeeze and in a soft whisper, said, "I'm fine, I promise."

Corolla nodded slowly and let him fall back slowly from her frail figure. She was a woman around her early forties, slender and petite, with fine auburn hair and jade eyes. She was much smaller than her son, barely brushing past his shoulders, but with a countenance that exemplified authority and commanded the attention of her audience. But in the midst of her unease, there was not much she could do to maintain order. Still, she tried her best.

"I have wonderful news, darling," she said, regaining the lost sparks in her eyes. "You remember Sud, don't you? The district we used to live in before your father was elected president? There was that charming little girl you used to play with—Mika. Well, I've invited her to stay with us for a little while." Her face fell again, despite her obvious attempts to keep her tone even and her guise happy. "There was an accident—a break in the domes… Fortunately, the child was not there, but her mother—" She paused for a moment and gulped. Eagle noticed a tear forming at the corner of her eye.

Corolla quickly wiped it away with the tip of her finger and sniffed. "Well, you can imagine how she must feel. I thought it would be appropriate if we would take her in. After all, she no longer has any surviving relations…"

Eagle reflected on his distant memory of their former colleague. The few reminisces that he could recall were of a too-tall blonde miscreant. But who was she and how were they ever acquainted?

He stared at his mother who returned his gaze with a fixated look upon her face that could only mean that she thought him undergoing another episode.

"Eagle," she began slowly, "I think it's about time I hire someone to look after you."

He shook his head. "No, mom, no… No. I'm fine. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I really don't need to be treated like a child."

"But—oh, Eagle," she said, holding onto his forearms. "_Please_ don't be so difficult. I cannot handle not knowing what may happen to you every five seconds of the day. I _need_ to be sure that you'll be fine."

"And I am, mother," he said, earnestly. "Nothing is going to happen to me."

"And how do I know that?" she demanded, her face bright red and eyes shining.

He became silent, his eyes squinting as he pondered on how to answer. He held his mother, showing a sign of his submission to her will and his remorse at making her as desolate and dejected as he was. "I'm sorry."

--

A week had hardly gone by before Eagle found himself in the sitting room, waiting for the coming of his would-be bodyguard.

She did come, later than expected, after his brief conversation with Corolla and Chrystler Vision. They had informed him that the young woman would be arriving somewhere around late afternoon. Whether they had been speaking of "Mika" or his bodyguard, he did not know.

But as the sixth hour drew near, he had yet to see any sign of her.

Shortly before the grandfather clock had rung six o' clock, a form hidden partly by shadow arrived in the doorway to the salon.

"I'm sorry I'm late," a hasty voice rang. "My plane was delayed a half hour late this morning."

Eagle watched as his visitor became illuminated with the soft yellow glow from the lamps. She was a girl around the age of nineteen, tall, slim, fair, with a healthy complexion. Her hair was wound into a loose knot at the nape of her neck, which was considerably long despite the many times she had twisted it. Her attire, however, was what caught his eye. It was similar to those of the guards.

She placed her suitcase on the floor and, looking up with a sheepish smile, met him. "Good evening, Mr. Vision." Straightening up and brushing her wet bangs aside, she extended her hands towards him. "It's a pleasure to see you."

He smiled and readily exchanged a handshake with her. "It's nice to meet you, too, Miss. Would you, by any chance, be my new bodyguard?"

She nodded accordingly. "Yes, I am."

He gestured toward the couches. "Have a seat," he said, reclining into an armchair. "My mother will be joining us shortly."

She followed suit and settled down into one nearest the ventilator.

"Wet weather, isn't it?" he asked, eyeing her sodden clothes.

"It is," she replied, giving off a shudder.

Eagle grinned, pulled out a mobile phone from his side pocket, and called for a blanket and hot tea to be brought in for his guest. Subsequently, he replaced it and turned his attention back on the woman sitting across from him. "I'm sorry, but I haven't quite learned your name yet, Miss…?"

She opened her mouth to answer but, at that moment, a maid came in with a large maroon blanket. Behind her, the butler carried a clear tray of tea towards the glass coffee table situated in the center of the room He asked the sopping young lady how many spoons of sugar she wanted in her demitasse as the maid unfolded the blanket and draped it across her shoulders.

"Two, please," she answered, relaxing immediately in the comfort that was bestowed on her. "Thank you."

Eagle glanced at the two servants and waved them away. "So," he began, "tell me about yourself."

She took a sip from her cup and set it down on the table. "Well, I've just recently turned twenty a month ago," she informed him. "I worked as a waitress and a domestic servant before coming here. In addition, I have some experience in military technique as I have attended the Academy for about three years before I had to leave. I…wasn't able to finish school due to some…circumstances that had taken place in my eleventh year and, therefore, could not get my degree or diploma." Her cheeks flushed. "And, um—as you know, that would give the universities a reason to not accept me into their institutions." She stared wistfully at her feet. "I was offered a scholarship in my ninth year from Ouest, but they took it back as soon as they had heard that I dropped out."

Wanting to change the mood of their conversation, Eagle suggested she tell him about her hobbies and aspirations.

"I love to read," she said. "Classic novels are my preference. I do often read different genres from time to time, including books on self-instruction. I also adore dancing. I don't dance much, myself, but I like to watch others dance." She hesitated before continuing. "I find myself…observing people and things a lot of the time. I study their characters and their interactions with each other." She bit her lower lip. "I don't know, but you can often tell how a person is by their nature, their speech, and their responses to different stimuli. I guess I've always wanted to be a psychiatrist. It's just the expenses that are the problem."

"Are you going to try to go back to school?" he inquired.

She laughed ruefully. "Perhaps not."

He thought for a moment of all of the things that were confided to him. She had undergone some difficult situations, but surely she is better off now? He took a glimpse of her, drawing in all of her features.

She looked well enough, but, as he paid closer attention, he noticed the faint coloring of the barely discernable bags under her eyes. And on noticing them, he couldn't help but stare at her oddly-colored eyes. They were mysteriously blue, like paint splattered on a wall; only, unlike paint, they looked almost transparent.

He had no idea how long his gaze had been fixated on her face, but as her expression broke into something similar to surprise, he soon realized that it had been far too long to go unnoticed.

Before he could explain himself, Corolla Vision had entered the room.

The young woman rose from her seat and was suddenly enveloped by his mother. "Mika! It's so nice to finally see you again! How are you, my dear?"

Eagle remained in his armchair, dumbfounded. "Mika?" he breathed.

--

"You're so grown up," Corolla gushed, "and so pretty, too."

Mika smiled and blushed. "Thank you, Mrs. Vision."

"Well," said Corolla, looking from Eagle to Mika, "I see you two have already had a chance to get to know each other."

Eagle affirmed her assumption, but he wasn't sure whether or not it was true. Why didn't she—Mika—bother to convey her identity until this moment? He peeked at her.

She was engaged in a tête-à-tête with his mother. What they were talking about, he did not know. He found it hard to follow their conversation as his mind could not help but wonder about her.

In a few minutes, they were joined by Chrystler Vision, who greeted the girl with his utmost civility if not sympathy. He was about as ignorant of her state of affairs as his son was.

The evening passed by at a relatively slow rate for Eagle, as he spent the most of the period listening politely to the soft-spoken murmurs of his parents and their visitor.

It did not occur to him how exhausted he was until he began nodding to sleep.

It was well past one o' clock when they had all decided to go to bed.

Corolla knelt beside Eagle and tenderly called him awake. "Come now, my darling. I need you to show Mika to her room."

He obediently got up and followed her to the corridor where Mr. Vision and Ms. Tenshi—as he had learned was her surname—were waiting.

Mr. and Mrs. Vision went down a separate hallway leaving the two adults to wander down the opposite.

Eagle sleepily led the way through the dimly-lit corridors as his guest trailed along, turning her head in every direction as she analyzed the photographs of Autozam's past presidents and their families. A short distance before the appearance of another entryway, they came across a portrait depicting a ten-year-old Eagle standing beside a proud Mr. Vision.

As they approached it, Mika turned her head upward. What thoughts were cruising through her mind as she watched the depictions were soon made known by her almost inaudible whispers. She smiled, and redirected her attention to the presently grown Eagle. "Bit of a nasty change for you, wasn't it?" she asked.

He didn't answer her. "What was?" he inquired.

"You used to grieve so much about moving away from Sud," she replied, staring at him starkly. "You really don't remember anything, don't you?"

He frowned. "No, I guess not."

She grinned, moving forward. "Well, I suppose it's not very important, anyway. So you've been in Cephiro for a couple of months, have you? Well, what is it like?"

Eagle could not refrain from smiling as he thought of the bliss time he spent in that country. "It's beautiful," he said, "like…paradise. There's really no other word to describe it. You'd have to see it for yourself."

She walked alongside him. "How is it like a paradise?"

As he thought more about his stay, which had been almost two years now, he began to feel a strange feeling of bleakness claw from within. Thankful for the fact that they were now standing between their separate dormitories, he suggested that he aid her curiosity on another occasion.

She reluctantly consented and wished him a good night before disappearing behind the door of her bedroom.

--

**A/N: Well that's all I can think of writing for now. Any suggestions made would be helpful.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Eagle stirred. Someone was calling him.

Feeling groggy and as if he had not one moment of sleep from the previous night, he mumbled an incoherent reply.

The door slid open, and sounds of approaching footsteps grew closer.

Blinking several times to wake himself, he stared at the maid who regrettably informed him that breakfast was being served and everyone was in the dining hall, awaiting his arrival.

He nodded, thanked the servant, and staggered out of bed and towards the bathroom.

* * *

Breakfast was an uncomfortable and unnerving experience due to the awkward exchanges made at the breakfast table. Eagle became conscious of his lack of an appetite not long after he sat down.

Seated opposite of him was the childhood friend whom he had no recollection of. Despite his efforts to fixate his attention on the half-eaten plate before him, he could not avoid meeting her eyes, which watched him intently as if they were perusing his thoughts.

* * *

Alas, forty-five minutes later, it was over and he was resolved to leave as quickly as his legs would carry him.

Corolla caught her son before he exited the room. Pulling him aside, she informed him, "Mika is not working today. Perhaps you'd like to show her around?" He consented, knowing that it was of no use to refuse her. "Remember to—"

"I know, mother," he interrupted. "Don't worry."

Walking past their guest, he mentioned, "I'll be at the gate in a few minutes. Wait for me."

* * *

On reaching the entrance, he spotted her peering through the glass door and at the men standing guard. A familiar figure stood beside one of the officers.

He tapped her on the shoulder and watched as her eyes grew wide in surprise. Obviously, she had no idea who he was. His hair was no longer sandy but azure, and his eyes were now emerald green in lieu of their original gold.

"It's me," he whispered. "Eagle."

As they moved towards the exit, he whispered a quick explanation: The disguise was to prevent any unwanted attention from the media and the public.

She nodded silently, still eyeing his cover.

The doors slid open at their approach and Geo Metro stepped forward.

"Hey Terrence!" he said, clapping a hand on Eagle's shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Terrence," Mika repeated, not quite adapted to this newfound knowledge. She studied the two men, trying to determine their relationship.

"Just fine," Eagle replied with a grin. "I've myself a new girlfriend." From his peripheral view, he saw her cheeks flush.

Geo looked down at the female correspondent. "My apologies, Miss," he said, amiably. "And what is the name of this pretty little lady that I have the honor of meeting?"

As she and his friend were better acquainted, Eagle surveyed the room.

It would be best to take the bike, he decided.

"I'll come by your apartment later, Geo," he said, walking through the door. "Coming, Mika?"

"Good-bye, Geo," she said, heading out after him.

* * *

They had a pleasant excursion through the estate grounds, visiting monuments and observing the experimentally-grown vegetation in the greenhouses.

Shortly after adjourning from their wanderings, rain began to fall from overhead. It was nothing but a slight drizzle at first but it soon grew into a heavy downpour, which the two had unsuccessfully attempted to evade as they took shelter in a nearby gazebo.

"Are you all right?" he chuckled, wiping the water from his face.

She shook the droplets from her hair and shivered. "It's not so much the rain as it is the notion of getting wet," she said, smiling wryly.

He grinned and, sitting down on the white marble bench, suggested they wait for the rain to lessen before heading back to the manor. She sat on the floor beside him and they recounted their most memorable moments of the day.

"I liked how the security guard was chasing us," he said. "I wouldn't have gotten away with it if I was Eagle Vision."

She smirked. "I never expected to see this side of you."

He winked. "It's just a little harmless mischief," he whispered. "Geo and I played there when we were kids."

She asked how long they've known each other.

"10 years," he replied. "I met him a little after my family moved here."

"He seems like a nice person," she surmised.

Eagle looked at her. Was there an attraction already between her and his friend or was she simply commenting?

The wind blew through the pillars, causing her hair to whip in the breeze. She gathered it into a ponytail and swiftly moved outside, where it had stopped raining.

"Oh, the sun is out," she murmured, staring up at the barely visible orb in the sky.

He came to her side and turned to where its vague outline glowed from beneath the clouds. It was beginning to appear more frequently, he realized.

Glancing down at his attendant, he saw the brilliancy of her eyes and her face alight with the serenity as she beheld the sight.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, smiling. Turning to him, she laughed. "I know you must think I'm strange because there's hardly anything there."

He shook his head. "Not at all," he said. "I think it's quite refreshing that you do." She smiled and flushed. "Shall we make our return or would you like to see more stone replicas of dead men?"

She laughed and sauntered down the steps.

As they raced one other back to the bike, Eagle came to a decision that it wasn't such a bad day after all.

* * *

A/N: I have a lot of catching up to do. Too much writer's block...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So where did you and Miss Tenshi hide away this morning?" asked Geo, slyly.

"We went to the museums and the through the labs," replied Eagle, staring at the ceiling from the sofa.

Geo, clad in a pink apron and oven mitts, pushed the chopped vegetables into a pot and moved to the oven. He placed his hands on his hips and gave his friend a skeptic look. "You don't sound very enthusiastic for a guy who has a hot chick looking after him. And on top of that, she lives with you!"

Eagle yawned and sat up. "She's not doing it because she wants to, Geo," he said. "She's getting paid, you know."

"Still," said Geo, disappearing behind the counter and reappearing minutes later with a chocolate cake, "I wouldn't mind having a nice girl fond over me." He looked across the room to see Eagle lying upside down, with his legs leaning against the wall, and narrowed his eyes. "But I suppose you need it more than I do."

Eagle grinned and, with great alacrity, flipped onto the floor, landing on his feet. He walked into the kitchen and propped onto a stool.

"You could ask her," he said, taking up a fork and eyeing the cake, "to dinner or a show, or wherever it is that lovers go. She sounded interested to know about you."

Geo snatched the fork away. "Not until after dinner," was his reprimand. He brought two full plates and placed them on the counter.

Eagle rested his head against the back of his hand. He wondered about love and about her…

She was seventeen this year, almost an adult. He had missed her birthday as he had been in a coma and was thus in a condition unfit to go anywhere at the time. He knew that Lantis loved her but that alone was not enough to dissuade him from hoping that, in the end, it may be he whom she chooses.

"Eagle," called a tentative voice.

He turned in the direction of the voice and saw Geo staring at him anxiously.

"How are you doing there, buddy?" asked Geo, putting his hand to Eagle's forehead. "You don't have a fever. You're not sick, are you? Maybe running around in the rain was not the wisest choice for a man of your condition."

"I'm fine," he responded, taking a spoonful of carrots into his mouth and smiling. "There's nothing to worry about."

Geo hesitantly took a sip of wine from his glass. "Apparently there is," he pointed out. "You're eating vegetables, which does not ordinarily happen."

Eagle, for a moment, resembled someone who was witnessing a tragic accident; he said nothing and, when he opened his mouth, looked to be second-guessing his words. Finally, he uttered that he was fatigued and mentioned that his mother would be expecting him as soon as dinner was over.

* * *

After dinner and dessert, of which Eagle devoured more than half of the cake, he donned again his azure hair and green contacts.

Geo walked him to the door and offered a reminder to go straight home and stay out of trouble, to which Eagle smiled and left him in assurance that he would do the exact opposite of what he was told.

As such, he took his bike downtown and into a club.

* * *

It was not until half past two that he returned home to the manor.

He had hoped to escape to his room without any questions but, alas, he found Corolla in his bedchamber, awaiting his return.

"Mom," he said, surprised.

She rose from the bed and walked to the doorway where he was standing, her eyes dull and brows knitted as if she was going to faint from anxiety. "Eagle, where have you been?" she asked. "I've been worry sick about you. You didn't pick up when I called—I had sent Mika out with three other officers to look for you."

He gently held her hands. "I've just been out for a walk," he said. "I thought it would be nice to get some fresh air."

She watched him helplessly; he noticed she appeared more worn and tired with each day. The lines formed around her eyes and mouth as she shook her head.

Eagle kissed her on the cheek, murmuring and apology and suggesting that she get some rest. He had hoped to fall asleep after she had gone but sleep evaded him once more until the early hours of the morning.

* * *

When he reflected on his dream the next morning, he could vaguely determine the meaning of what had passed in that reverie.

In the dream, he had been resting under a tree when a sound woke him from his slumber. A little girl around four years had fallen into a pond and was splashing about as she tried to regain surface.

When he dove after her, he broke through the sheet of water and into a barren, shaded landscape where she stood, unharmed, watching him curiously with her dark eyes.

He spoke softly and tried to ask where she came from; each time, she shook her head, not saying a word.

The scene skipped and they were walking through a tunnel. She led him by way of tugging on his thumb.

A light appeared at what he thought to be the outlet. It flickered as they drew nearer.

Suddenly, he realized his little attendant was gone. Something bound his arms and legs and yanked him towards the ground. As he sunk through the earth and plummeted uncontrollably onto the other side and into the sky, violent flashes seared his eyes and he saw what looked to be great plumes of white feathers rushing past him and towards the world below.

He awoke with a start shortly before the maid was scheduled to come and had since been pondering the fate of the little girl and his possible presentiment of death.

However, his thoughts were soon laid aside when the maid came in with a message from Cephiro.

* * *

Breakfast was over by the time Eagle had left his room. While he walked towards the library, he heard someone come from behind him.

"You're up late this morning," she said. "Did you have nice dreams?"

He smiled and replied, "I have better news: My friends are coming to visit." She expressed interest in the declaration and he, remembering that she was to accompany him on his outings, asked, "Ready for your first day on the job?"

She nodded and inquired, "What sort of tomfoolery do you have in mind today, Terrence?" to which he responded that they would make things up as they go along.

* * *

A/N: Third chapter completed! Trying to get off writer's block! And I couldn't resist putting Geo in an apron.


End file.
